How Crime
Victims React to Trauma
What Is It?
Many crimes involve the use of
force or violence against victims. Crime victims of all types of crime may
experience trauma-physical damage to
their bodies or emotional wounds or shock caused by the violence against them.
Reactions to trauma vary from person to person and can last for hours, days,
weeks, months, or years.
Physical trauma: Crime victims may experience
physical trauma-serious injury or shock to the body, as from a major accident.
Victims may have cuts, bruises, fractured arms or legs, or internal injuries.
They may have intense stress reactions: their breathing, blood pressure, and
heart rate may increase, and their muscles may tighten. They may feel exhausted
but unable to sleep, and they may have headaches, increased or decreased
appetitites, or digestive problems
Emotional trauma: Victims may experience emotional
trauma-emotional wounds or shocks that may have long-lasting effects. Emotional
trauma may take many different forms:
·
Shock or numbness: Victims may
feel "frozen" and cut off from their own emotions. Some victims say they feel as
if they are "watching a movie" rather than having their own experiences. Victims
may not be able to make decisions or conduct their lives as they did before the
crime.
·
Denial, Disbelief, and
Anger: Victims may
experience "denial," an unconscious defense against painful or unbearable
memories and feelings about the crime. Or they may experience disbelief, telling
themselves, "this just could not have happened to me!" They may feel intense
anger and a desire to get even with the offender.
·
Acute Stress Disorder:
Some crime victims
may experience trouble sleeping, flashbacks, extreme tension or
anxiety, outbursts of anger, memory problems, trouble concentrating, and other
symptoms of distress for days or weeks following a trauma. A person may be
diagnosed as having acute stress disorder (ASD) if these or other mental
disorders continue for a minimum of two days to up to four weeks within a month
of the trauma. If these symptoms persist after a month, the diagnosis becomes posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Secondary Injuries: When victims do not receive the
support and help they need after the crime, they may suffer "secondary"
injuries. They may be hurt by a lack of understanding from friends, family, and
the professionals they come into contact with-particularly if others seem to
blame the victim for the crime (suggesting they should have been able to prevent
or avoid it). Police, prosecutors, judges, social service providers, the media,
coroners, and even clergy and mental health professionals may contribute to such
secondary injuries.
If You Are a
Victim
How You May Feel: Every victim is different. You may
experience shock, numbness, denial, disbelief, and anger-any of the feelings
victims typically have (see above).
Common Injuries: You may have bruises, cuts,
scrapes, broken bones, sexually transmitted diseases, and a wide range of
internal injuries. You may also have physical reactions (such as rapid heart
rate and breathing, increased blood pressure, nausea or sleeplessness) to the
emotional wounds caused by the crime.
Decisions to Consider:
·
Medical Care: Will you seek medical care to treat your injuries and be
tested and treated for sexually transmitted diseases? You may want to seek such
help, even if you decide not to report the crime.
·
Counseling: Will you cope with your feelings
privately, reach out to a friend or family member, or seek the help of a clergy
member or professional counselor? Counseling can help you manage the
emotional and physical impact of the crime and regain a sense of control over
your life. You can choose from many different types of
counseling:
o
Hotline-one-on-one advice (by
phone) from counselors specifically trained to help victims who have experienced
trauma.
o
Group
counseling-counseling under the care of a mental health professional in a group
of people who experienced similar traumas.
o
Individual counseling-one-on-one,
in-person counseling by a counselor, therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or
other professional trained to help victims recover from trauma.
·
Reporting the
Crime: Will you
report the crime? You may want to talk to a victim advocate (see below) to help
you make this decision, guide you through the criminal justice system, and help
you solve problems that may arise as you cope with your reactions to the crime.
Resources
The best way to find out about
these options is to talk to a crime victim advocate. The National Crime Victim Helpline (1-800-FYI-CALL) advocates can help you
think through these decisions and refer you to resources in your area. Helpline
services are free and confidential.
National Crime Victim Helpline
1-800-FYI-CALL
(1-800-394-2255)
1-800-211-7996
TTY
8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET
weekdays
Or visit: Help for Crime Victims: www.ncvc.org/victimassistance
All rights reserved.
Copyright
© 2008 by the
National
Center
for Victims of
Crime. This information may be freely distributed, provided that it is
distributed free of charge, reprinted in its entirety, and includes this
copyright notice.